Short-term care

When you need temporary care, Elder can connect you with a fully-vetted carer who you can trust to care the way you would.

Take a breather with temporary care

Elder can arrange short-term respite care for a few days to a few weeks. A fully vetted carer will move into the home, provide care, and maintain a routine in the same way you would.

Only pay for the care you need with our simple pricing structure
Choose your carer from a network of friendly, independent carers
We can match you with a carer in as little as 48 hours
Receive guidance from our expert family support team

How it works

In 3 easy steps

Tell us what
you need

Give us a call or get started online. We’ll ask you some simple questions and based on your answers we’ll begin to match you with carers over the next 24 hours, for you to review in your MyElder account.

Shape your
solution

Complete your care profile and our clinical team will confirm whether care can go ahead safely. You’ll also receive details of the most suitable carers. You can chat with your favourites, before making final arrangements with your chosen carer.

Stay in
control

Once care is in place you and your family can manage it from anywhere with your MyElder account. And if you ever need to speak to someone, our specialist family support team will happily answer your questions.

The benefits of choosing Elder

No surcharges on Bank Holidays or weekends
No lengthy contracts
We only require a two week notice period
An agreed weekly rate, with no unexpected extra costs
Up to 2x nightly wake-ups included
No exit fees

Short Term Care

We know that receiving care from someone you’re familiar with is important. So, we’ll always try to connect you to the same carer when you make multiple live-in care bookings at once.

3 days from £625
Per week from £1450

What does it include?

Household tasks​

e.g vacuuming and laundry​

Meal times​

e.g preparing meals to taste and dietary requirements

Personal care​

e.g help with washing, toileting, and prompting medication

Companionship

e.g daily company, and help getting out and about to see friends

Helping with daily pet care

e.g feeding, exercising

Up to two nightly wake-ups

Occasional help with things like getting to the toilet or providing reassurance.

Show 3 more +

Download our brochure

Find out more about how our Short-term care service works day to day – and how it could support your lifestyle.

Knowledgable care advisors and
family support specialists

Get quality care in place in as little as 24 hours

Only pay for the care you need with no hidden costs

Choose your carer from our 5000+ community of vetted professionals

What people say about our staff

Big decisions need bespoke support. Our friendly care advisors and family support team are here to listen, guide and empower you through the complexities of care.

Would you like to discuss your needs with a Senior Care Advisor?

Give us a call on the number below.

Our services

Care with Elder will
always include...

Unlimited carer matching 

Using our technology and expertise, we’ll uniquely match you to carers with the right experience, skills and character.

Emergency support

We can put care in place in as little as 24 hours if your needs are urgent.

On-going family support

You’ll have access to a diverse range of care knowledge via our specialist family support team.

Your own MyElder account

an intuitive online account where you and your family can manage every aspect of care and access carer information.

FAQ’s

You’ll likely have some questions about whether Elder’s short-term respite care will work for you. We’ve covered some essential information below. 

From time to time, you may need some short-term care to ensure that you, or a loved one can stay safe and happy at home.

If you’re caring for a loved one yourself, short-term care can provide trusted a period of respite care when you need to take a break or holiday. If your regular care arrangement falls through unexpectedly for example due to sickness, we can help you arrange cover. And, if you or a loved one is returning home from hospital, planning specialist, short term convalescent care or intermediate support can support a safer and more comfortable recovery.

On your initial call with a Senior Care Advisor, they’ll learn as much as they can about your situation, and work out an arrangement that best supports your needs. This means if you need a carer who speaks a certain language for example, or perhaps someone with experience caring for someone with hearing loss or dementia care, we’ll work hard to find a great match.

We believe every family deserves the right carer, even at short notice. We’ll connect you to skilled, fully vetted carers, who you’ll be able to learn more about via their Elder profile. You’ll be able to approve the care you like best. 

On your carer’s first day, they’ll set aside plenty of time to get to know you, your family, and how things are done. If you’re a family member and would like regular updates from your carer throughout the placement, we’ll do this in a way that works for you too.

Sometimes it’s difficult to know how long you’ll need care for, for example if the person who normally provides care falls ill, or if additional support is needed to support recovery after an illness or operation. With Elder you can book short-term care without an end date – to guarantee support is in place for as long as you need it.

Absolutely. Live-in carers offer assistance with a huge range of day-to-day requirements – including hygiene and grooming.

Putting your loved one at ease during this sort of care is tricky, but live-in carers are uniquely positioned to do just that. They can devote the time and attention required to build trust, as well as get to know just how much help they need to offer.

Of course. Live-in carers move into your loved one’s home to offer 24-hour care – even if that means getting up occasionally in the middle of the night.

They’ll help create routines around bedtime, ensuring better quality sleep for improved wellbeing. They might also get your loved one to the toilet if they need it, or put their mind at ease if they’re confused.

If you need more regular or intensive night-time support, you may benefit from a dedicated night carer, to ensure your live-in carer is getting enough rest.

With Elder you’ll be set up with your own MyElder online account. This is where you can complete your Care Appraisal before care starts – detailing the care needs, health, lifestyle, and home environment of the person needing care. You can add other family members to the account to help complete the Appraisal, and to give them visibility over care once it begins. 

 

You also use your MyElder account to – 

  • Review carer profiles and select your carer
  • Read updates from your carer with the Care logs feature 
  • Keep care information updated and update any changes to your care needs
  • Easily update payment information and track your invoices

How do I choose my carer?

Simply create a MyElder account and fill in our ‘Find your Carer’ form. This can usually be completed in 5 minutes, and will ask you questions about your loved one’s needs, and the type of carer you’d prefer. We’ll review this information to uniquely match you to a selection of carers we think would be a great fit for you. 

You’ll have time to review a  profile for each carer you’re matched with in your MyElder account, as well as an introductory video where they’ll talk about what they enjoy about being a carer and their experience, as well as their hobbies and interests. Then you simply need to confirm which carer you like best. To help with your decision, you can chat directly with them using our chat feature, and arrange a call with them to ask questions and get to know them better. 

Yes. Every carer we work with must have a good level of written and spoken English. 

If you’d prefer a carer who also speaks a second language, simply let us know.

Yes, we give you the choice if you’d prefer a male or female carer, simply let us know if you or your loved one has a preference.

A carer who moves into your loved one’s home with them will need their own space in which to sleep and spend time when they are not actually providing care. Most commonly, a carer will have a bedroom of their own, but if this is not practical, you could adapt a reception room or study for them to use – as long as it’s a private space i.e not a thoroughfare to another room or in regular use by other family members during the day. 

The live-in carer will not need a bathroom of their own, although this would be preferable. They will need clean and functional bathroom facilities that they can use, and if sharing a bathroom, there should be somewhere for them to store toiletries.

We also recommend setting up a WiFi connection if you don’t have one already. The internet is useful for many things, including keeping in touch with Elder, which can be even more important if you live in a rural location with poor phone signal.

There is, though it’s worth noting that the kind your loved one is eligible for depends on their circumstances – both financial and medical.

They may be in the running for assistance from local or national government schemes. They may also be able to release equity in their property to access a tax-free lump sum or income.

To get a better understanding of your options, take a look at our ’care funding’ page.

Other related articles

Enable your loved ones to grow old around the people, things and routines they love.